Book stack



3 Sheets-She et l W. C. BOND BOOK STACK Original Filed Sept. 30, 1933 Inventor D N .0 B 0 a 0 3 A .1 .1 1 H F v C 4 a 5 w mun m a w. 3 I. 2 4 W A llorney Oct. 29, 1940. c, BO 2,219,291

BOOK STACK Original Filed Sept. 30, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WILLIAM CHAnD BOND Inventor 24 A tlomey W. C. BOND Oct. 29, 1940.

BOOK STACK Original Filed Sept. 30, 1933 3 SheetsSheet 3 A [tome y Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED "STAT S 2,219.291 BOOK STACK j William C. Bond,

Washington, D. C.

Original application September 30, 1933, Serial Divided and this application Octoher 15,1935, Serial No 45,122

It) Claims.

(Granted-under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty there- This application is adivision of the parent application for Letters Patent, bearing Serial Number 691,717, which was filed in the United States Patent Office under dateof September 30, 1933, and relates to improvements in book stacks.

More particularly the invention pertains to a book stack in which the shelf supporting members, hereinafter referred to as end sections,'may be installed, removed, or replaced at will, thereby eliminating permanent floor and column attachments.

An object of the invention is the provision of improved support andsuspension means for the end sections. In doing so it is an object of the invention to construct a library book stack which will eliminate a large number of structural columns conventionally used in the prior art.

Another object is to design astack in which the accurate location of the end sections may be maintained independently of any variations in the structural members whichmay occur during construction.

Another object is the design of a stack adaptable forinstallation, with but littleor no modification, in the ordinary forms of building construction.

Another object is to construct a system of shelving of universal size so that, it may be fitted into an area designed for it or may be later installed with equal efiiciency in other areas to accommodate either conventional rows of books or for the storage of large bound volumes of newspapers and the like. It is also. an object of 'the present invention to provide means whereby portions of the stack, including the aisles, may be converted into locked inclosures. t

Other objects and purposes of myinvention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, it' being understood that the above general statements of the objects of my invention are'intended to broadly explain the same without limiting it in any manner. j e

The accompanying drawings are illustrative examples of book stack structures having the characteristics of my invention and by which the same may be practiced, and in which Figure 1 illustrates, in side elevation, upper and lower portions of shelf end sections fofthe end 2 showing a modified form of a terminal shelf end section;

Figure 6, a small diagrammatic view cross-sec tionally through a portion of the assembled book stack;

Figures '7 and 8, views similar to Figure 1, ex-

cept that they illustrate portions of intermediate end sections;

Figure 9, an illustrative view of a portion of a book stack installation in perspective; and

Figure 10, a section taken at line Ill-l0 of Figure 7. I

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that character reference 4 (Figure 2, etc.) denotes vertical structural I-columns, with or without casings 5 and air ducts B, to which are attached at the various floor levels I longitudinal I-beams 8 (Figure 1, etc.) and transverse angle floor beams 9 such as are found in ordinary building constructions. and beams, I propose using sections for shelving claimed hereinafter as my invention.

The book shelving proper comprises a plurality of vertical intermediate and terminal end sections Ill and I i3, equispaced between the range columns 4, and each adapted to hold adjustable shelves H (Figures6 and 9) as required.

Though not specifically shown in the drawings, the shelf end sections ID or H! may be constructed of sheet metal reinforced about their top, bottom and side edges and may also be reinforced about their central portions. Preferably, however,

I propose to utilize end sections of cast material to insure rigidity, prevent warping, and to eliminate a great number of members, such as rivets, bolts, weldings, bracings, etc., otherwise necessary to construct a reinforced sheet metal end section. These end sections are preferably formed to accommodate and support two tiers of shelves laterally from one or both sides of the end sections in order that shelves may be inserted from either or both edges of the end sections on one or both sides thereof. The cast end sections are formed with holes l6a, described hereafter, so arranged as to provide solid supporting portions Between such columns across the upper and lower ends l2 and I3 and along the edges l4. Additional portions may be left imperforate for supporting purposes such as through the center l5 from one end portion to the other and intermediate, [6b, the center and side from one end to the other as well as crosswise, lfic, from one side portion to the other. The holes lfia may be provided for lighting purposes, for ventilating purposes, as a saving of material, for ornamentation, and the like.

The upper end portion I2 is of greater thickness than other portions of the end section, as shown in Figure 10, to withstand the bending load on the end section, and is also of greater length than the Width of the end section to provide, as hereinafter described, lugs to which spacing bars may be attached. The cast end section therefore comprises an integrally formed panel having a solid upper end portion l2, of yoke-shape formation as described hereinafter, solid side portions M and a solid central portion l5 depending from the upper end portion, a solid lower end portion i3 connecting the lower ends of the depending portions, and skeleton paneled sections integrally connecting the upper, lower, and depending portions.

The ends of the shelves II are supported upon the end sections is and if) by means of lugs [1, formed by notches l6, projecting from the side portions M of the end sections and by such means of rear lugs 18 projecting laterally from the central supporting portion [5. The lugs 18 should, of course, be in vertical alignment and should preferably have a downwardly inclining portion, as shown in Figures 1 and i, to aid in sliding the shelves upon the seat of the lug. The front and rear lugs should also be so positioned as to carry a shelf in a horizontal plane.

Provision is made for vertically dividing or separating the two tiers of back-to-back book shelves, by hanging a barrier panel l9 down the center of the end sections I0 and II). This is easily accomplished by making an enlarged top edge 20 on the barrierand suspending the barrier thereby from slotted stirrup-shaped lugs 2| which may be formed on the inside of the central portions l5 of adjacent end setcions. This also may be accomplished by providing a projection on the upper corners of the panel or by providing a rod along or through a turned over portion of the upper edge of the barrier sheet and allowing the projecting or extending rod to ride within the stirrup lug. In this event the stirrup lug need not necessarily be slotted. The bottom of the barrier panels l9 may be kept in alignment by fastening or securing the same to lugs 22 and 22 if-clesired, which may be cast on the lower portions of the end sections.

To 'rigidly hold the several end sections of a series in spaced position and in alignment, the upper and lower end portions l2 and I3 project beyond the side edges of the end sections and provide lugs 23 and 23 to which are attached spacing and aligning angle bars 24 and 24. If desired, the projecting lugs 23 and 23 may be omitted and the bars 24 and 24 may be secured to the corners of the end sections flush with the side edges thereof.

The distribution of the weight on the beams, columns, floors, end sections, and shelves is a problem of major importance and may be, according to my invention, satisfactorily accomplished by suspending the intermediate and terminal end sections I0 and ID from the horizontal I-beams 8, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, or

by supporting the end sections on the floor 1 directly above the horizontal I-beams 8, as shown in Figure 4.

As disclosed in Figures 1, '7 and 9, the end sections which are suspended from the girder or 5 I-beam 8 are formed with a curved depression 25 near the middle to accommodate the horizontal I-beam. Lugs 26, which may be provided with openings therethrough, may be cast near the top, and in the central portion of the curved depression, and by these lugs the end sections may be secured to the bottom flanges of the I-beam 8 by suitable means such as bolts 21. By this arrangement, as shown in Figure 1, etc., the bottomsof the end sections terminate several inches above the floor 1 and no part of the book stack is attached to or rests thereon. The floor is thus maintained free of obstructions, even after removal of the book stack, by the elimination of floor attachments and is thereby readily accessible for cleaning and air circulation.

A further feature of novelty of this suspending arrangement is that the end sections become more rigid as the load thereon increases due to the suspension from above. Whereas if the end sections rest entirely upon the floor they will become Weaker as the load increases.

The ends of each stack section, where the terminal end sections I0 abut the vertical column 4, or casings 5 surrounding such columns, should be secured in order to prevent swinging and retain alignment. Theseterminal end sections In may be retained in position by an angle bracket or strut 29 secured to the center of the bottom edge of the end section and to the vertical column 4 (see details in Figures 1 and 3).

The end sections on the ends of the stack sec tion may be the same as the intermediate end sections, except, if desired, the lugs on the side, abutting the column 4 or casing 5 may be omitted. Again the terminal end sections may be unpaneled. (see reference 10 in Figure 5) and serve as one section of a casing, such as indicated by 5, for the vertical column 4. An ornamental plate 30 may be employed to cover the opposite side of the column. With column side plates, the ornamental plate 30 and a terminal end section of the character just pointed to in Figure 5 completely encompass ducts 6 and the column 4, which features of novelty are claimed in my copending application referred to herein.

It may be desirable to allow for a slight space between the column 4 or casing 5 and to the end section I0 on the end of the stack section in order to accommodate for unevenness or inaccura oies in measurements or positions of the vertical columns. Such a space may be accounted for by the use of washers, fillers. shims, or lugs 3|, Figures 2 and 5, between the end sections l0 and the vertical column.

If it is desirable to support the shelving directly on the floor, or to have the iloor assume a por tion of the suspended load, it may be readily done by forming a depending central offset portion or leg 32 on the bottom edge of the end sections (see Figure 4) which legs may be bolted through the floor 1 to the upper flanges of the I-beam 8. The top of the floor-supported end sections may differ from the suspended type described by the provision of a cut-away section 33, at their center, through which girder 8 may pass. In such a construction angle plates 34 may be fastened to the top of the end sections and secured to the web of the girder 8.

As shown in Figure 4, pivoted doors 35 may be hung on the upper and lower angle bars 24 and 24 sothat a section of the range may be enclosed. If desirable, the end doors on opposite sides of the aisle may be fastened to one another to completely block off the entrance to the entire aisle.

Having described my invention what I claim 1. A book stack comprising two or more end sections, mean-s extending upwardly from the upper ends of the sections for suspending the same, spacing bars connecting adjacent end sections, a barrier panel removably held between adjacent pairs of end sections, shelf-supporting means on the faces of the sections, other shelfsupporting. means on the side edges of the sections, and shelves carried by said shelf-supporting means between adjacent pairs of end sections.

2. An end section for a book stack having solid upper and lower end portions, means extending upwardly from the upper end portion fors-uspending the section, partitioning means integrally connecting the said end portions, shelfsupporting means extending laterally in opposite directions from said partitioning means, and other shelf-supporting means extending outwardly from the outer side edges of said partitioning means.

3. A- book stack adapted for use in a room having vertical members and a ceiling member, said book stack comprising a plurality of terminal and intermediate end sections, means at the top of each end section for suspending the section,

means attached to one terminal end section for holding it in spaced relation to a vertical member of the room and against horizontal displacement, spacer bars connecting adjacent end sections, shelf-supporting means on the end sections, and shelves carried by adjacent end sections.

4. A book stack having end sections comprising thin vertical metal panels capable of sustaining the tension caused by the hanging weight of the shelf-load, means on the upper end of each panel for attachment to a support, shelves, means on the panels for supporting the shelves, and spacer bars attached to and extending between adjacent end sections.

'5. An end section for a book stack comprising a thin vertical metal panel capable of sustaining the tension caused by the hanging weight of the shelf-load, a reinforcing thickened portion across the upper end of the panel sustaining the bending stresses from the tension in the panel, said reinforcing portion extending outwardly beyond the side edges of the panel for attachment of means for spacing and aligning adjacent end sections, suspending means on the upper end of the panel, and means on the panel for supporting one end each of a plurality of shelves.

6. In a library book stack having a pair of vertical supporting columns and a ceiling beam connecting said columns, the improvements com prising a plurality of paneled vertical shelf-sups porting members suspended at intervals between said columns transversely of and from said ceiling beam, spacer bars connecting said shelf-supporting members transversely thereof, each paneled shelf-supporting member having a solid horizontal upper end portion and solid integral portions depending from the ends and center thereof into integra-lity with a solid-horizontal lower end portion, the central portion being provided with vertically spaced lugs projecting laterally therefrom and the depending end portions, being provided with notches in the outer edges thereof, each pair of horizontally aligned lugs and notches being adapted to support one end of a shelf disposed between adjacent members.

7. In a library book stack having a horizontal beam and means for supporting said beam, the improvements comprising a plurality of shelfsupporting members suspended transversely of and from said beam, each shelf-supporting member having a solid upper end portion of yokeshaped formation provided with centrally located suspending means, the ends and central portions of the yoke-shaped portion continuing integrally into depending solid portions coupled by an integral lower end portion, said depending portions having means thereon for engagingone end each of a plurality of shelves.

8. Shelf-supporting members each having a solid upper end portion of yoke-shaped formation provided with centrally located suspending means, solid side and central port-ions integrally depending from the ends and middle section of said upper portion and provided with means for engaging portions of one end of a plurality of shelves, a solid bottom end portion integrally connecting the lower ends of said depending portions, and skeleton paneled sections integrally connecting said upper, lower, side and central portion-s. I

9. Shelf-supporting members each having a solid upper end portion of yoke-shaped formation provided with centrally located suspending means, solid side and central portions integrally depending. from the ends and middle section of said upper end portion and provided with means for engaging portions of one end of a plurality of shelves, a solid bottom end portion integrally connecting the lower ends of said depending portions, skeleton paneled sections integrally connecting said upper, lower, side and central portions, and means on each of said members adjacent the ends of said end and side portions adapted to engage bars for spacing 'andaligning a plurality of said members.

10. Shelf-supporting members each having a solid upper end portion of yoke-shaped formation provided with centrally means, solid side and central portions integrally depending from the ends and middle section of said upper end portion, spaced notches on the outer edges of said depending side portions and lugs extending laterally from said depending central portion, each pair of horizontally aligned end of a shelf disposed between adjacent members, a solid. bottom end portion integrally conconnecting said upper, lower, side and central portions. I

' WILLIAM C. BOND.

located suspending lugs and notches being adapted to support one 

